The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) is an international NGO based in Switzerland. It hosts a biennial global conference dedicated to innovation in humanitarian mine action and demining technologies.

IOS first participated in the GICHD Innovation Conference in 2023, delivering a brief five-minute Speed Pitch. This initial engagement led to a new connection with The HALO Trust, one of the world’s largest international NGOs in humanitarian demining.
This year, IOS was invited to join the Breakout Session as a panelist, marking a significant step forward in our involvement with the global mine action community.

The theme and purpose of the breakout session were as follows:
Robotic mechanization of signal excavation
Can demining accidents during manual signal excavation be reduced through efficient and effective robotic means? This session shares field experience and engineering innovation on mechanization and semi-automation, exploring how solutions can be advanced while staying affordable, adaptable, and sustainable.

In humanitarian demining operations, metal detectors are used to locate trace amounts of metal contained within landmines. When a signal is detected, the indicated spot must be manually excavated by deminers. This process is highly dangerous and, because of the required caution, extremely time-consuming.

Recognizing the critical importance of automating this hazardous task, GICHD selected the robotization of signal-point excavation as one of the key themes of this year’s conference. This topic aligns directly with the work IOS has been pursuing since 2017.